The gala glittered with wealth and influence, chandeliers throwing shards of light across polished floors. I stood at the edge, waiting, notebook in hand, nerves tight. Adrian moved through the crowd like a shadow, commanding attention without trying.
Then she appeared.
The same woman from before—tall, poised, confident—drifting toward him with the same insinuating smile. My chest tightened as her presence encroached on the space I'd claimed in my mind, the space he had silently marked.
Adrian noticed immediately. His steps slowed, posture shifting subtly, his gaze sharpening.
"She's persistent," he muttered under his breath, just for me.
"She won't leave," I whispered, though my voice trembled slightly.
He didn't respond with words. Instead, he moved through the crowd, parting people like water, until he stood directly in front of me. His hand found mine—firm, deliberate. Not the brush of protection. The claim of possession.
The other woman faltered, hesitation flashing in her eyes. Adrian's gaze swept over her once, slow, precise, and icy.
"She's with me," he said softly, but loud enough that everyone within earshot understood. Not staff. Not an accessory. Not a distraction. His.
I felt heat rise in my cheeks, but it wasn't embarrassment. It was relief—and something far deeper. Adrian wasn't hiding. He wasn't calculating. He was choosing.
"I don't tolerate attention on what's mine," he added, eyes locking on mine as if daring the world to challenge him.
The woman stepped back, polite but defeated, and melted into the crowd. The message was clear: he had drawn a line.
Adrian didn't release my hand, didn't take his eyes off mine, even as the crowd murmured and whispered. For the first time, the power dynamic wasn't about control or survival—it was about us.
"I should apologize," I said softly.
"For what?"
"For making this harder than it should be."
He smiled faintly, just for me. "You didn't. You made it real."
And in that moment, with the city watching, the world around us spinning with expectations and power, Adrian Blackwood did something no one had ever seen him do: he chose me, without hesitation, without compromise, without apology.
I squeezed his hand, heart racing, knowing one truth above all else.
This time, there was no contract.
No rules.
Only us.